While none of the superzooms scored a home run, we were most impressed with the Olympus Camedia C-765 Ultra Zoom. Compact (nearly pocketable) and easy to shoot with, the C-765 led the pack in image quality: It tied the Panasonic for first place on our resolution tests and edged out the Fujifilm FinePix S5000 for the top score on our pixel transition tests. The camera's daylight and flash shots were crystal clear and well exposed. That said, the C-765 isn't perfect. Its boot-up is slow, and it's less responsive than we'd like for action photography. Still, this all-around camera is well worth the money.

Honorable mention goes to the chunky Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10 for its fantastic f/2.8 12X Leica zoom lens; it tied the Olympus for resolution, wasn't far behind in pixel transition, and beat the Olympus model on boot and recycle times. It suffered a bit in the exposure department, though we love its image stabilization feature. For photographers who are likely to require maximum telephoto shooting, this camera may be the best choice. It's worth noting that while it weighs under 20 ounces, the DMC-FZ10 is a sizable cameradefinitely not a shirt-pocket shooter.

The Kodak EasyShare DX6490 also gets an honorable mention for its dead-simple operation and beautifully illuminated flash shots. If ease of use is the key factor for you (at the cost of some image sharpness), consider this aptly named camera.

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